Shadows and Dust
by Acrinn Jade
Summary: After a mission to free slaves goes terribly wrong, Luke starts a slide into the Darkside. UPDATED! Sorry for the wait, chapter 6 up, 7 soon to follow!
1. Screams so near safety

Disclaimer: As much as i love 'em, they're not mine. :( they belong to the Great George Lucas! i'm just borrowing them for my own amusement, and hopefully, the fun of those reading!

Summary: An emotional fic on Luke turning to the Darkside after a mission to free some slaves goes wrong. Has Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo and Wedge Antilles so far. hopefully with Mara Jade on the way.

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Chapter 1. Screams so near safety.

"Luke! It makes sense - and you know it! If - you take the lead - you'll be of more use, you can deflect - the bolts so we can get through!" Princess Leia Organa Solo panted out her argument to her brother as they once again hid from the enemy fire. Leaning back against the crates she waited for the stubborn reply.

"Don't "Luke!" me! Leia, you made it intact through the other times you went first. No, don't interrupt! Sister, please... I want you where I can see you're okay. I'd never forgive myself if something happened - especially now that we're so close to the others." Luke looked his sister in the eyes, begging her to agree with him. She didn't.

"I don't feel safe going first Luke... it feels wrong. Please. I..." she sighed heavily, unsure how to explain the feeling to her twin. It hadn't felt right as soon as he'd said it, a chill had crept up her spine and she'd suddenly felt more afraid than their entire time on the run.

"Sometimes I could hate you, you know that?" he whispered as he crawled over and held her against him. "I don't. I love you. But you are so stubborn that I could hate you. Really... I could!" he gave out a large, exaggerated sigh, then smiled down at her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

She tried not to giggle too loudly but still earned a glare of one of the Alderaani slaves they were rescuing. She would have made a sharp retort but she knew it wasn't worth it. These people hadn't had the chance to heal as she had, no longer knew the sort of love her brother showed her. She nudged Luke to tell him it was time.

"Come on. Let's get it over with, then I can see my husband, and my aging brother can sit on an over stuffed chair and have his hot chocolate." Winking at him, she crawled to the age of the crates. Catching the slaves' attention, she motioned them to get ready. Luke crept up beside her, his eyes still pleading with her. Shaking her head she gave him space to get past her and out first.

Giving her another quick kiss, he grinned, whispering "For luck!" in her ear before he promptly back-flipped over the crates, lightsaber already ignited.

Taking a deep breath, Leia hurried all the slaves out ahead of her and ran after them, protecting them from the rear. Running backwards, she almost tripped over a body, the casualty of a bolt that had made it through Luke's defences. It was the young Alderaani that had glared at her. She was glad that she hadn't snapped at him, glad to not have had him die with his last memories of upset and anger.

Something shoved her to the ground as a blaster bolt missed her by inches. She realised it had been a Force shove from her brother as he missed more and more bolts. She sensed his upset at her close call, his sheer exhaustion after a week on the run and then he was gone, slipping once again into the Force, his presence blurring into it as he desperately gathered its energy to himself.

As she rose again, she realised they had done it. Wedge Antilles was there with Han ushering the slaves in to the Republic transport, Han constantly glancing at her and Luke, checking they were okay, how close they were to the ship. She scanned the area from which they'd raced.

Then she saw him; another slave trying to rise to his feet on what was obviously an injured leg. Running back, ignoring the startled cries of her twin, she grabbed the man, propelling him towards the ramp as it started to rise. She could hear Han screaming at the pilot to lower the ramp again as Luke dragged the slave onto the ship with the Force.

She ran the last few meters towards them and meeting her brothers worried eyes, she grinned. They'd done it! She sensed it then, her basic Force sense warning her too late. She was thrown forwards as searing agony spread between her shoulder blades. Landing heavily on the earth she coughed, warm liquid spluttering over her lips as she did. Blood.

Her mind drifted as things grew vague and distant. She could hear the desperate screams of her brother, his voice breaking as he sobbed. His sense scrabbled against hers, trying to get a grasp on it. She could hear others as they shouted at him, held him back; stopped him from coming for her. She could sense Han's despair, sensed it as his world collapsed and he slid down the wall of the corridor. She felt a deep thrumming shake the ground, echoing through her body as the ship started to lift, felt heat burn her face and side, her throat tight with a scream of agony she couldn't hear. Suddenly it was gone. The feelings, sounds, the ship and her family, and the pain. And then she gave in, the darkness taking her.

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Authors note: So what do you think so far? please review! it helps keep the story going. hope you enjoyed it!

A.Jade

xxx


	2. A promise for the damned

Authors note: _Italics_ and the symbol # on either side of speech means it's spoken through the Force.

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Chapter 2: A promise for the damned.

Luke watched in horror as the laser hit his sister in the back. As she went sprawling forwards he tried to reach her but she collapsed too far away, her fingers only just touching his with the barest of a caress. Pure fear encased his heart as he brushed her with the Force, trying for any hold on her life. But it was hopeless. He screamed out as her presence slipped through his grasp.

"LEIA!!!!!!!!" He tried to scramble out and down the closing ramp but hands held him back, refusing to let him go. He swung his hand out, viciously backhanding someone with his clenched fist. He heard bone crunch as it gave way but didn't care. He couldn't see who he'd hit, burning tears blurring his vision as he fought to free himself.

"Leia!!! No. Let me go!! Leia!!!!!!!! Let me go, damn it!!!!!!!"

It was too late. The ramp closed, stopping any chance of rescue to his twin. He collapsed to his knees, screaming her name as he felt the ship take off, felt his sisters agony as his own, felt her slip away, her presence disappear into the Force.

"LEIA!!!!!!!!!! Nooo!!!!!!!!!!" sobbing he bowed his head to the floor, tears streaming down his face.

_#No! Leia!!! Hear me. Please....Leia! Oh Gods! Leia!!!#_

No reply came from his sister. All he could feel was the cold emptiness, his soul screaming out for its other half, only to scream louder in anguish as no change came, no comforting presence soothed him, having been ripped away. He was dying, he had to be. Nobody could survive this loneliness, this tearing pain he felt through his heart.

The fear for his sister's life peeled away from him, there being nothing left to fear for. Pure hatred came in its wake. The need for revenge, to destroy what caused this pain. Looking up, he met the gaze of the slave his sister had died for. With a cry of malice he threw himself at him.

His fists only found their marks a few times before the hands were on him again. Once again they held him back from his one wish. How dare they? He was a Jedi, with the power of the Force at his call. They would not take him from his goal this time!

With that thought Luke unleashed the Force on his victims, smiling as he felt them fly away from him, crashing into the nearby walls. The slave whimpered in fear and agony as he stepped towards the crumpled figure. He drew the force to him, feeling the energy crackle in the air around him. He lifted his hand to release the lightning in his grasp on the man before him. To leave him in the same agony as they'd forced Luke to leave his sister.

Someone stepped in his way. Did they not learn? Needing to feel what he caused, Luke lifted his fist to hit out with a killing blow, only to be shocked into stopping as hands cupped his face. A soft voice spoke to him, breaking with emotion.

"Don't you dare, kid. I can't lose you, too!" Brown eyes, filled with tears, stared down into his, begging for him to see. See what he was doing; see what road he was taking.

"Han?" Han was still with him. Why did he stop him? Did he not feel this, too?

"Yeah, kid. Leave him, Luke. Don't kill him. Don't take this route!" The hands had gone to his shoulders, shaking him with each word, trying to shake the anger out of him. It just left him confused and lost, the room spinning. He collapsed against his brother-in-law's chest as Han held him close.

"Oh, Han! It hurts so much. She's gone, Han, I can't sense her. I can't feel her. She's dead. She's gone!" Luke sobbed hard against Han's chest, anguish overtaking him. His tears flooding out the fire of his anger. Utterly exhausted, he let Han lead him away from the room and into their quarters as the group rushed to the side of the beaten slave or picked themselves up from where they had been thrown against the walls.

Picking himself up from where Luke had thrown him Wedge watched the two men leave. It scared him how angry and out of control Luke had been. Scared him how exhausted the man was now. Then and there Wedge made a promise to the dead princess he had come to know through her twin. He would look after her brother, his friend, no matter what Luke did, no matter how bad things got - the Jedi was stuck with him now, even if he didn't stay a Jedi for much longer.

Sighing, he helped calm the Alderaani and then went to explain what the hell had been going on.

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Authors notes: hope you liked it! once again, please review. next chapter is on Han. see you then!

A.Jade

xxx


	3. A brother's bond

Chapter 3: A brother's bond.

Han sat watching his brother-in-law sleep. It had scared him beyond belief when Luke had gone for the slave. That was not the man he'd come to love so much. That was someone with no control, someone who wished nothing but suffering on those around him. It had been what the ex-smuggler had needed.

He could recall every second, yet those seconds seemed to stretch on for years or were gone too quickly. He remembered watching Leia fall. His Leia, his princess, the features that kept him mesmerized with their beauty contorted into agony as she was hit.

He'd slid down the wall as the tears slid down his face. He hadn't wanted to. He'd wanted to get up, to pull them off Luke, to let the Jedi go to his twin and save her. But then Luke had screamed. It had frozen his blood. Han's whole world had collapsed, but Luke was left in his own world still, left to watch the life drain from it. He didn't get the luck of having his life ripped apart. He had to suffer that happening to his soul.

It was then Han had known. She was gone. All his hopes and plans for her rescue had died. Along with something else. He'd thought it was his heart, his care for anyone. But then Luke had gone for that damned slave. Had tried to kill him! Had thrown everyone into the walls with the Force!

And of all the people in the world to feel care for first after her death... Vader! Watching Luke, he'd wondered if this was something like what the kid's father had gone to pure evil because of. And he'd cared. He'd felt sorry for the Sith!

But he'd refused to lose Luke, too. Refused to let him go down that road, to make the same mistakes as his father. He'd told the kid as much, when he had been waiting for the Force choke, or the shove that would have broken his neck. Instead he'd got through to him. The dangerous warrior standing in front of him had collapsed into grief, leaving him with the farmboy from years ago, sobbing against his chest.

Hard to believe that had been three days ago.

He'd managed to get Luke into their quarters, which despite the privacy had been the worst thing possible. Luke had seen a holo of Leia and quickly become an emotional wreck. He'd collapsed onto the floor, crying and screaming for Leia to come back, not to leave him.

Han had screamed himself. Screamed for the sithing medic! He'd never seen his friend like this and had been starting to fear some sort of break down. As the medic was called Antilles had burst into the room, fussing over Luke.

Maybe fussing wasn't the word. He had helped, he had found out what Luke was trying to ask for between the kid's cries. The damned holo. That was all he'd wanted. Han had nearly thrown the thing at him in his urgency to help his brother.

Luke had been quiet after that, eerily so. He'd allowed the medic to check him over without complaint and had soon fallen asleep after the medic had given him some tranquillisers.

That had been three days ago and Han hadn't left his side for anything but the 'fresher. Wedge was in most of the time, too. He'd been there the only time Luke had woken up so far. Still dazed from the drugs, the Jedi had called out for Leia, not understanding why she didn't come. He'd only known it hurt and that he couldn't feel her.

Han hadn't been able to keep looking at Luke. He'd felt sick as Wedge had explained and the life in Luke's eyes had given out. He'd felt sorry for the pilot as Luke had turned away from his friend, curling up around the holo of his twin. He hadn't let it go, even when he slept. It was one of Han's, his favourite, but if it helped the kid, forget the holo, he'd give the Falcon at the moment.

Han himself had grieved the first day Luke slept, but most was still locked away. It seemed to wait for a time when he wasn't doing anything, so he'd kept himself busy looking after Luke. If he admitted it he knew he was running. What was happening to his brother scared him; he didn't want that to happen to him.

He wanted to tell Antilles to leave so he could just keep busy, but had stopped himself in time. At first he'd been shocked. He hadn't realised Wedge and Luke had been so close. The pilot was as devoted to the kid as Han himself was and the general wasn't going to stop that anytime soon.

"Han?" the whisper startled him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he smiled warmly as he met blue eyes.

"What Luke? You okay?" he brushed aside the loose blonde hair on the man's forehead, suddenly feeling very desperate to show his care of him.

"It hurts, Han! Why does it have to hurt so much?!" the whispered despair went straight to Han's heart. He got up to sit closer to the kid but only succeeded in making him think he was leaving, too. Trying to tell him otherwise did not seem to penetrate the panic Luke was suffocating himself in so Han chose a different approach. After all, actions spoke louder than words.

Getting into the bed, he put his arms around the Jedi, holding him close as the man sobbed against him. Kissing the top of the blonde's head, he reassured him until he felt the man fall into a restless sleep. Han settled down around his brother and cried himself to exhaustion. Only then did he allow himself to rest.

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Authors note: Hope you liked this one. back to Luka again next chapter. as always, pleaes review. till the next chapter. seeya!

A.Jade

xxx


	4. Whispering darkness

A.N sorry about the wait people! as i said to the readers of my other fic, Darth Real Life is happily holding me round the throat right now! But here we are, new chapters for you!!! yipee!

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Chapter 4 Whispering Darkness

Blue eyes stared vacantly at the bunk above him. The arms around him were too warm. They were uncomfortable. Luke didn't move, though. The only energy left was used to study himself.

It was unbearable. It wasn't so much the pain as he'd told them of, which now was just an ache in his mind. It was the loneliness he couldn't stand. It was doing things to him he couldn't describe. He saw it, awake or in his dreams. He saw _her_! Always screaming at him, her face so burnt she was barely recognisable. She would say how he'd left her in agony; he'd betrayed her and left her to die! She spat out his worst fear. Whispering to him, that now he was completely alone.

And that was when he'd really noticed it. The presence he could sense. He wasn't alone! She didn't know anything... it had comforted him, it had taken away the pain, filling him up with… something.

He couldn't put his finger on it. It was warmth, but had sharpness to it, like lightning. Energy had seemed to flicker through him. It had been there when she'd gone. He'd been so scared, so angry! And they'd held him back! He'd told her, but she still came to him, screamed at him. Why couldn't she see it wasn't his fault?!

But it believed him; it had come to him then, helped him. It had whispered in his mind, telling him to kill the slave. At first he'd wondered why? It wouldn't bring his twin back! But the strange shadow had seemed to flow through him and suddenly it had clicked into place.

This slave had killed her. If he hadn't been so pathetically weak she would be here now. He'd murdered her! He should be punished.

Luke had felt the power in the darkness, felt it fold around and into him. He had summoned it and instantly it had been there, to use as he wished. He had lashed out.

The feeling had overwhelmed him. He couldn't remember anything up to when he'd woken later in his bed. Han had looked away from him while Wedge had explained. Luke knew why. Han was looking after him, but he knew the Corellian hated him now. That was why he couldn't look at him! He agreed with Leia. He believed it was Luke's fault, too! It wasn't! It _wasn't_...

Luke rolled away from the arms and untangled himself from the bed sheet. Getting up, he headed for the 'fresher. The darkness was whispering again, telling him what to do.

The Jedi stepped into the room, grim determination on his face. The whispers were right. Nobody would get there in time to save him. Would anyone even care about the death? After all, it was _his_ fault!

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A.N hope you liked it! thanx for the reviews so far, please keep 'em coming!!!

A.Jade

xxx


	5. The witch boy and the ring

Chapter 5 The Witch Boy and The Ring.

Something stirred. Not much, a small flicker of energy, but it was enough. The Force flowed into the body, claiming it with its essence. New life surged through the form and it took a weak breath, but that was all that was needed.

The boy sunk into the chair in exhaustion. Since his mother had been lost in the recent attacks, he was the only one left who knew anything about healing. Without his mother's extra help and guidance it had been touch and go for the last few days.

He'd found the victim in the clearing where the rebels had been. They had obviously thought the slave was dead and had left her. Well he hoped that, at least. After all, he was rooting for them to win this war. If they just abandoned their people, maybe they weren't the best to take over from the Empire...

"Abner... Abner! Where are you boy?" the gruff voice echoed into the room, shattering the peace. Abner frowned at the door as the noise caused his patient to stir. Why couldn't it have been his step-father who'd been shot? The loud-mouthed brute wasn't going to be very helpful in the mood he was in. Sith, when was he ever helpful?!

"In here, Zeph. Please quieten down; you're going to reverse everything I've done for the slave."

Zeph bundled in to the room, not overly bothered by the boy. But when the comment registered into his brain, he was not happy. How dare the brat order him about in his own home! Standing there like some Imperial peacock. Hells of Korriban, the whelp was just fifteen years!

He reached out, intending to slap the boy across the room. The brat's mother wasn't here to protect him now! Stepping up to Abner, he viciously back-handed him across the face, grinning as he felt blood wet his knuckles. The boy crumpled to the floor, whimpering as his step-father kicked him heavily in the ribs.

"I will do as I want, boy! I've had enough of your games with this one. I want you out tonight, selling those talents you got from your witch mother. You hear me!? Don't bother coming back till you got money!"

Without a backwards glance, Zeph stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Abner picked himself up, wincing at the new bruises on his face. His ribs were tender as well. How Zeph thought he'd sell anything tonight when he looked like he couldn't even keep himself well, he didn't know. He just prayed to the gods that he wouldn't have to dishonour his mother and steal again.

Setting up what he needed, the boy was about to leave the room when a moan of pain came from the bed. Hurrying over, he checked the Alderaanian's statistics again. Realising she was overheating, he applied more of the ointment to the burns running across her face. How she'd got them he didn't know. He guessed she must have been too close to the ship as it took off.

The other burn was obvious. Those burns only came from blaster fire. It had been difficult to treat, being so close to her heart and lungs. Several times he'd almost given up, but she would somehow fight it on her own until his hopes rose and he would start healing her again.

Shaking his head, Abner put aside the burn gel and prayed she would be okay while he was gone. He had no doubt that if she got worse or made any fuss, Zeph would just finish the job the slavers had started.

He slid her ring into his pocket, not trusting his step-father to leave it alone if he saw it. The ring. That was strange. He'd thought that the slavers would have taken that off of her. But here she was with a wedding ring, engraved with delicate writing in native Corellian.

Maybe that explained who her 'Luke' was. Could it have been her husband's name she kept mumbling? Shaking his head again in confusion, he made sure she was comfortable and quietly left the room. As he locked the door behind him, she started to mumble again. He was tempted to stay and listen, but if Zeph saw he was still here he'd have his hide.

He left the house in search of someone who was willing to pay a witch-boy to heal them of illness. And with the service lately, this would be a long night!

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She'd woken up several times now, but it had been too painful to open her eyes, let alone move about. The blaster burn was agony, but nothing compared to the burns down her side. She could just about remember how she got them. A ship.

But there was something else. An agony telling her to get up and find the source, she felt as though half her soul was slowly dying. She kept calling out to it, to him, but he refused to listen.

The small, green Jedi had told her what to do. Showed her how important it was. 'On this, all depends,' he had said. And it was true. She knew to her core that, if she lost him, she was lost herself!

"Luke! Hear me!"

A.N ooohh! please tell me what you think, even if you hate it! seeya soon!

A. Jade

xxx


	6. Proof of downfall

A/N whew! finally!!! sorry about the wait people but i've just got over the worst case of writers block! plus all the college work, too! anyway, i'm gonna try and write more chapters before i flop again! the next ones already of to be betaed!

hope you enjoy

Chapter 6 - Proof of downfall.

He couldn't sleep. The atmosphere on the ship was thick. Where people should have been celebrating a victory, they were grieving. The slaves should have been happy now that they were free. Instead they crept about the ship fearful of another attack or someone else blaming them for the loss of the Princess. The crew were angry, mainly at Luke for reacting the way he did. For not being the perfect Jedi. It made Wedge sick.

He hadn't been able to stand the way those on the ship were acting at the merest whisper of his friend, so he'd stayed by the man's side along with Solo. He'd been shocked at the other Corellian's devotion to Luke. He had known they were close, had grown even closer after they had become brother-in-laws, but hadn't registered just how much they cared for each other. And Han had been the only one to get through to Luke when he'd gone for the slave.

He knew what was happening to Luke. He'd talked to him many times about the Force, the Jedi telling him about its effects on the surroundings, its different sides, Light and Dark. His friend had told him about the Dark Side, alright, and right now he saw it all in Luke.

Sighing, Wedge kicked off the covers and sat up. He might as well go and check on Luke. Hopefully Han would have had the sense to go to sleep, but it wasn't likely. The old smuggler was using his Farmboy as a life line to sanity. Wedge held nothing against that, but if the man didn't rest it put Luke at risk and that was something he wouldn't take.

Getting dressed, he left the room, heading for the quarters he seemed to spend so much time in lately

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The room was quiet, the lighting down to its lowest. Wedge smiled as he noticed Han curled up on the bed. Treading carefully he quietly made his way around the room, wanting to just check on the men before he left again. Solo seemed fine, deeply asleep and Luke...

"Sith!" rushing over to the fresher praying the Jedi was there, Wedge cursed again when he found it empty. He was back at the bed in seconds.

"Solo?...Solo?! Wake up!"

"Huh? What'd'ya want?"

"Where's Luke???"

"Ah Hell!!!"

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It wouldn't stop! It kept dripping onto his hands, onto the floor. He hadn't meant to do it. When the door had opened it had startled him. The cut wasn't that deep anyway... but when he looked up, the fear in the eyes he met told him otherwise.

A whimper escaped him as the cloth on the wound turned red. Desperately he looked at the slave again, begging him not to die. He knew, even as he denied it, what he'd done. He'd taken the revenge he'd wanted.

_No! It had been an accident! It was the slave's fault! Damn it, I didn't mean it._

A strange, wet, rattling sound caused Luke to open his eyes again, staring at the slave. The man was jerking slightly, choking as blood trickled down his chin. The hand that held the bandage to his stomach went weak, dropping the cloth.

With a gasp, Luke shot over to him, desperately trying to keep him holding the cloth over the wound. He jumped back in shock as the slave coughed up more blood, spraying it over his hand. Gagging, he scuttled away as the slave continued to watch him. Fear closed his throat and he scrambled out the lounge door, slamming it behind him. Sobbing, clutching his stomach, he followed his instincts and ran to somewhere, to anywhere he could try and hide from himself.

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The strangled cry that came from along the hall did nothing to comfort Han's nerves. Neither did the fact that Wedge instantly threw up as soon as he left the room he'd been checking.

He tried to go in but the pilot stopped him, straightening up. Relief flooded into him, mixing violently with a new fear at the muttered words.

"It's not Luke."

Cautiously he stepped through the door, blocking out the murmurs of others who had arrived, hearing Wedge's cry. He couldn't see anything. He turned back to Antilles but the man was blocking the door, stopping the others coming in. Moving around the corner, he almost fell as his foot slid across the floor. Looking down he felt bile rise to his throat as he followed the pool of red back to the corpse of the slave. The one Luke had attacked before. Had killed now?

He began to shake as he lowered himself onto one of the many chairs. He couldn't take his eyes off the body, even as he held his face in his hands. It was proof that not only had he lost Leia, her brother had followed her, into a totally different darkness.

"Oh, Luke. What have you done?"


	7. Forms of support

A/N

Anime-Crusader don't worry, i know it wasn't a flame! yeah, the length of the chapters are bugging me too. every time i try and make them longer i don't like the results and scrap the chapter though!!! i promise that once i finish the story i'm gonna do a rewrite though! i'm glad you think its original, i was worried people would think "Oh no! another dark Luke fic! Boring!!!". thanx.

Luke1 thankyou for the continued advice, it means a lot! it's great that you think i'm getting better. it was less taking my time and more writers block though! maybe it was just the fresh start that really helped???

onto the story!!!

Chapter 7 - Forms of support.

"I am not hunting my brother-in-law down as if he were vermin! You've never dealt with a Jedi, I bet? Well, he needs to be talked to, not chased. Yes he attacked a ma-"

"Murdered, Captain Solo. There is quite a difference."

"How dare you? How Sithing _dare_ you?! You know nothing about -"

"I _dare,_ because I have key authority of this ship. I _know_ that there is a _killer_ on this ship, Captain. If it was your brother or Mon Mothma herself, I will hunt them down to see justice done. And I _know _it _was_ Skywalker. His prints were all over the blade, it was his shirt tails that were holding that man's stomach in, damn it!"

Han felt his knees waver as once again the truth was rammed home. As he looked down at his shaking hands, they blurred as tears fought to fall.

_Not yet! Sithspit, get a grip, Solo! You can do this later; you need to help the Kid._

"I will not help you find him, General. If he comes to me for help, you won't know about it until you can't do anything. I've always looked after that kid and I won't stop now!"

"If you help that man I'll personally make sure you lose anything you care for in the Republic, Solo!

Han finally looked at the man then. He didn't care if he showed that he was near tears. He just wanted to show he was going through with this decision no matter what.

"If I let you get to Luke, then everything's been taken from me anyway. Your threats are empty, you can't take away from me what I've already lost." With that the smuggler left the office, finally feeling as if all the bad luck he'd dodged for years was surrounding him with a vengeance.

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_Why in the Sith hells am I doing this? If he turns nasty and- damn it Wedge don't be a jerk! You swore you'd look after him. Even if he did go down this path... this is still not a good idea, though._

As soon as they'd released him from questioning the night before he'd started to pack his belongings. He'd walked to Luke's with his bags, thanking the gods that everyone seemed to assume he was ridding his quarters of the 'killers' stuff. Since then he'd been heading back and forth from a shuttle to Luke's place desperately trying to stay out of sight. This was the last bag and so far he'd been successful.

"Stop. I'm sorry, Sir, but we need to search that bag, please."

"May I ask why, Commander?!" Wedge raised an eyebrow at the young woman.

"We've had a report that you have been moving Master Skywalker's belongings from his rooms to the hangar, Sir, yet there are no bags there."

"There, wouldn't be. I've been spacing the cursed things." The women blinked at him for a moment before her green eyes turned to chips of ice. The sudden change stopped Wedge from what he was about to say.

_That's not the reaction I expected!_

"If you don not wish for _his_ belongings to stay in other rooms I would understand, but it is not decent to do that to his property until he is either dead or has no use or want for them. After all, _Sir_, he has not been found guilty yet."

Her patrol companion's jaw was not the only one to hit the ground. Wedge was stunned that this woman was casually announcing to the world that she supported Luke, even now. Handing over the bag, he tried not to grin, well aware that it would be taken the wrong way.

"I'm sorry, Sir; I can't let you continue to your destination with these objects. They are clearly not yours to destroy. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to report this to the General in command." With that she stormed off round the corridor's turning.

_Shavit! How am I going to get those back now, I don't have time. At least I had one of the cubes in my pocket._

He'd known how much Leia's wedding cube meant to Luke. Thank the Force he had not put it into that damn bag!

Sighing, he went into the bay towards the shuttle, quickly checking that nothing had moved from the small hold he'd found under the flooring. At least the old rebel 'runners' were good for something, although he'd never thought he'd end up using them to smuggle from the N.R.!

_Now all I have to do is find the guy I'm rescuing. _

"No need. He's found you."

A/N please review. it's the only way that i can really improve this! thanx A.Jade


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